


Love Love Telephone

by longflight42



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, London, Long-Distance Friendship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pride, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27457450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longflight42/pseuds/longflight42
Summary: "Right, so you know my grandma?” Taeyong asked, taking a sip of his coffee.Doyoung hummed. “The one on your mum’s side? With the cats?”Taeyong chuckled. “Yes, the one on my mom’s side. Anyway, she visited yesterday, and she gave me an early Christmas present.”“Oh really? What was it?”“Money. To come see you.”A beat. “What?”In which Taeyong and Doyoung have been best friends for years, 3470 miles apart. But now, the distance will finally be closed, as Taeyong flies to London to finally stay.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 20
Kudos: 243





	Love Love Telephone

**Author's Note:**

> title from “Love Telephone” by EXO-SC! i made a spotify playlist for this fic, you can listen to that whilst reading if you want! enjoy :) more notes at end
> 
> [spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4DpWooGIKEq0dIImAyTX0m?si=qliGcbg3TRaha_45I9hQpA)

Christmas in London was always busy. I mean, London’s always busy, but at Christmas it feels like every hour is rush hour. Families travelled from all over the world to shop at the markets, see all the West End shows and admire all the glowing light displays. All this, on top of the normal slew of businessmen, students and commuters, made getting home on time quite the task, as Doyoung knew well.

“Donghyuck, listen to me. It’s 6pm, in _December in London_ , I’m already running late as it is. Do you really think I can get you a coffee? Really?” he shouted down his phone, navigating his way through the crowd. There must have been something on at the Royal Albert Hall or something, as it felt like everyone was walking against him. Doyoung pushed through the best he could whilst talking, still with murmurs of “sorry” or “excuse me” to the people he nudged.

“Come on!” his younger brother whined through the phone, “You know mum doesn’t let me walk about when it’s this dark! Besides, I got you that doughnut last week!”

“Out of the kindness of your heart, I’d hope!” Doyoung rolled his eyes, hoping the sentiment would reach his brother on the other side of London. “Besides, even if I did get you a drink, I’m at least an hour away from home, depending on the roads. It’d get cold, or I’d give in and drink it. It’s not worth it.”

“Alright, it was worth a try. Get home soon! Mum’s just starting casserole, so it should be ready by the time you get back.” Just the mention of hot food brought a bit of warmth to Doyoung, who was bundled up in layers galore, it only motivated him to get home quicker.

“Okay, see you in a bit.” And with that Doyoung hung up and pocketed his phone, continuing to pace to the bus station, praying to get a seat at least for the way home.

…

The bus ride was the shortest part of Doyoung’s journey, he still had to get a tube and another bus to get home. However, he had access to data, unlike when he was underground, so he used this to his advantage. Once he managed to get a seat and the bus started going, he opened his iMessage to check if Taeyong had sent him anything. Of course he had, a picture of a dog he spotted out of the window of his lecture that morning to be exact. Checking his clock app, Doyoung saw that it was around 1pm for Taeyong, so he snapped a photo of his current state (only his red cheeks and nose were visible through his scarf and pulled-down beanie) and sent it.

**doie**

[image]  
what’s the weather like there rn?  


**tyongie**

cold!!  
but at least it’s still light  
i think it might snow tonight tho!!!

**doie**

unfair :(  
i only had a white christmas when i was 10  
you practically get one every year

**tyongie**

the beauty of new york <3  
it’s not so nice to walk through tho  
where are you rn?

**doie**

bus back home  
about to reach the tube station

**tyongie**

and you’re texting me?? during one of the only times you can see land??  
look out of the window doie!! all the cool lights n shit!!

And he was right, all the lights were pretty. Restaurants were decorated by twinkling displays, reflecting against the bustling shops filled with last-minute christmas shoppers and stressed retail workers. You’d only find this magical kind of atmosphere here, at this time of year. Doyoung quickly took a photo out of the window of a blurry shop front lit by twinkling hanging lights, surrounded by an inflatable Santa and his reindeers.

**doie**

[image]  
i guess they are cool :)

**tyongie**

WAAAAA THATS SO COOL  
THAT LOOKS SO BIG  
AAAAAA I WANNA GO

**doie**

bout to arrive at the tube station, talk ltr?

**tyongie**

yes <33 see you then!!!!!  
need to talk to u abt something important so call me when u get in!!!!  
bye ily!!

Doyoung didn’t have much time to reply, questioning what Taeyong wanted to talk to him about, as his bus had arrived at the tube station, and he got up to continue the journey home.

...

After finishing his casserole and having just a small brotherly fall-out with Donghyuck, Doyoung took to his room to finally call Taeyong. It would be around 4pm for Taeyong, meaning he would be back from his classes.

The familiar ring of facetime echoed around Doyoung’s room until Taeyong’s face showed on his phone, shining bright. Taeyong’s latest venture in self hair-dying had resulted in a bright white colour, which gifted him strange looks in the NYU hallways, but Doyoung reassured him that they were staring because they were jealous of ‘such a cool guy with such a cool hair colour’, and that he should take it in his stride.

“Doieee!” Taeyong gasped at his phone screen, ignoring the shouts of his roommate telling him to shut up. “It’s been hours! You’ve been gone so long, the tube couldn’t have been that long!”

“It wasn’t, Doyoung chuckled in response, propping his phone high up on the table next to his bed so he could get his grey duvet around his shoulders, “I needed to eat and sort out some final bits of coursework.”. 

Taeyong pouted at this. “You’re always working! It’s Christmas, can’t you just rest for a bit?”

“Apparently, lecturers don’t really care that it’s Christmas.” Doyoung sighed. Today was his last day of classes before Christmas next week, and he was planning on finishing all the coursework he needed to over the weekend, so at least he wouldn’t be working on the actual day, unlike last year finishing his A-Levels. 

“Promise you won’t work too hard over your break.” And how could Doyoung say no to those big eyes?

“I promise.” This earned Doyoung a big smile. “What did you want to talk to me about earlier? You said it was important?” Doyoung gave himself a mental pat on the back for asking so normally, as if it hadn’t been plaguing his mind for the past hour or so.

“Oh shit yeah, it’s important too! Right, so you know my grandma?” Taeyong asked, taking a sip of his coffee (Doyoung had told him many times to not have coffee in the afternoon, but now he’d given up trying to stop him). 

Doyoung hummed. “The one on your mum’s side? With the cats?”

Taeyong chuckled. “Yes, the one on my mom’s side. Anyway, she visited yesterday, and she gave me an early Christmas present.”

“Oh really? What was it?”

“Money. To come see you.”

A beat. “What?”

“She knows how much we talk! She gave me enough money for flights, as well as some extra for a hotel-”

“You don’t need a hotel, you can stay with me, holy shit are you joking?” Doyoung’s smile (and his eyes) grew wider and wider, matching Taeyong’s. Was he dreaming?

“That’s what I said! And no, I’m not joking, I can’t believe it. I have enough to travel over and stay for a few weeks. It’s happening.” Doyoung felt like he was dreaming.

“Well, when are you thinking of visiting? Do we have any holidays that overlap next year?” Doyoung asked, 

“I’d fly over tomorrow if I could.” Doyoung smiled even more (if that was even possible) at that. “I was thinking summer time, next July or August? We’re both off for a long time.”

“Taeyong, I think you’d be disappointed at British Summer Time, it’s not as glorious and sunny as you think.” Doyoung didn’t actually care about the weather, he just wanted to see Taeyong. 

“It can’t be that bad!” Taeyong exclaimed, leaning his head on his hand. “So, does that sound good, me flying over in summer? Is that ok?” His eyes were big and scared, as if Doyoung would ever say no to him.

“Sounds perfect.” replied Doyoung, beaming.

A ding came from Taeyong’s phone. He checked his notification, and his eyes blew wide, shock adorning his face. “Oh shit, it’s nearly five! Doie, I have to run. Talk this weekend about it?”

“See you then.” And with one last wave from Taeyong, Doyoung hung up the call, already daydreaming about the coming summer.

…

**Three years ago**

_[dodraws]: ty0ngbu Wants to send you a message_

_Doyoung frowned at his phone screen that lit up on the other side of his bed, then picked up his phone and frowned more. No one ever messaged him on his art instagram, only spam group chats and himself on other accounts. Anxiously, Doyoung opened the message_

_ty0ngbu: Hi!! I've been meaning to message you for AGES but I was too nervous to DM you but I just wanted to say that I love your art!! It’s so unique and cool, especially the portrait of the little kid with the blue outline! Your painting style is just so pretty :( It says in your bio that you’re 16, which is MAD because I’m 16 and I could never draw as good as you, but keep doing what you do!! That’s all thank you bye!!!! :-)_

_Doyoung smiled widely, his cheeks turning pink as he read the message over and over. He’d never been praised this much for his work, the occasional compliment from his art teacher didn’t count because that was for his schoolwork, not the paintings he actually wanted to do._

_‘Wait’ Doyoung thought, jolting him out of his own thoughts, ‘This is too good to be true. Check his account, I bet this is some scamming account which starts off by complimenting you, gaining your trust, then takes money from you’._

_Doyoung clicked on ty0ngbu’s account precautiously. His name (supposedly) was Taeyong, and he lived in New York. His account wasn't private, so Doyoung could pry on his photos, which were mainly of sunsets over the city, group photos with friends and dogs. Doyoung quickly concluded that this guy was too cheesy and cute to be a bot or scammer, as most of his captions were along the lines of “Saw this puppy last week!! He was very loud and happy!! I named him Strawberry in my head and I am still thinking about him!!” or just a single emoji. ___

____

____

_The lack of selfies had Doyoung confused, so he clicked on a group photo and found the one untagged face and lo and behold, there he was. Doyoung had to (embarrassingly) zoom in on the photo to see him, a boy who looked around his age, with dark brown hair that stopped just above his eyes and cheeks stretched high with a smile. Cute._

_It took Doyoung a good ten minutes to formulate a reply._

_dodraws: thank you so much!!!! you have NO idea how much this means to me ur so kind!!!! I’m glad you like the blue outline painting, I’m really proud of that one. I had to get my brother to pose for ages but I let him use my switch to play Animal Crossing to make up for it :(_

_ty0ngbu: That’s your brother?? He’s soooo cute omg_

_ty0ngbu: also u play animal crossing?_

_And they spoke into the night. Well, into the afternoon for Taeyong._

...

The first quarter of the new year flew by in the form of coursework deadlines and late shifts at the coffee shop a few streets down from Doyoung’s campus. When it came to May, him and Taeyong’s daily conversations (they practically called each other whenever their time zones overlapped) came to include talks of flights and schedules, bringing excitement to them both. 

Taeyong’s classes finished a week before Doyoung’s (“Lucky git.” “I don’t know what that means Doie but it sounds like you’re jealous.”) so he’d fly over on Friday night and land in London at six in the morning, to Doyoung’s dismay.

“Are you not gonna be happy to see me?” Taeyong faked a gasp, pulling his hoodie strings further so Taeyong could see even less of his face. The air conditioning in his building had malfunctioned, leaving his room way too cold for his liking, a horrible contrast to the sweltering streets of Greenwich Village. It was also late for him, his face only lit up by his screen. 

“Of course I will be, don’t be dumb!” Doyoung yelled back. “But that means I get back home at 11 from my shift, then the next morning I’m off at 5 to travel to Heathrow to get to you!”

Taeyong pouted. “Alright then. How about you pick me up at the normal time, then we just get back to yours and sleep again? I probably won’t sleep much on the plane anyway, too noisy.”

This made Doyoung pause in his (mock) anger. He’s seen Taeyong sleep on facetime before, when their time zones didn’t match up well, in fact for a few months last year Doyoung’s phone wallpaper was a screenshot of Taeyong with his face buried in a teddy, his eyes shut, his cheeks squished. Only for a few months though, he blushed every time he checked the time. And now he’d be seeing him sleeping in real life. Really soon.

“Yeah, sounds good. We meet for the first time then nap together.” Doyoung smiled as he wrote a note of Taeyong’s flight times.

“By the way,” Taeyong continued, wrapping another blanket around his shoulders, “What do you have planned for us to do? I kinda left that all in your hands.”

“I mean, if you want I can take you to the touristy places but they're overrated, to me at least.”

“But they look so good on Pinterest!” Taeyong pouted.

“Yeah, but I bet Time’s Square and the Empire State are tourist traps there too.”

“They do make the subway really crowded…” Taeyong drifted off. “I trust you to take me to all the nice places though. My personal tour guide.”

Doyoung beamed. “I will. Right, what day’s your return flight again?”

…

Doyoung’s alarm went off at 4 the morning of, but he was awake way before then. The rest of his family was asleep, so he tried to be silent, headphones in playing calming music. In an hour, he’d drive over to Heathrow in his parent’s car and wait in arrivals for Taeyong, who would then be staying in his spare room for the next few weeks. Nerv-cited, was the right word.

Doyoung’s heart was going a million miles an hour, which he hated. If he felt like this now, how would he feel later? He needed to calm down. He opened his phone again and opened a folder named ‘TYONG <3’, which is where he put every tiny funny thing he sent Taeyong, as well as everything Taeyong sent him. It had calmed him down before, just before taking his A-levels, before Uni interviews, sometimes just on a bad day. It was full of everything, stupid cat memes, random screenshots of funny conversations, funny selfies. If Doyoung scrolled to the top, he’d find selfies from a younger Taeyong, with fuller cheeks and longer hair.

A cheesy smile graced Doyoung’s face as he remembered that time, when Taeyong spoke to him more and more when he was bored, and eventually they spoke everyday, from deep conversations about life to just... updates about what they were doing (two weeks into their friendship Taeyong sent a picture of a pigeon he saw in the street with simply ‘:]’, cementing them as best friends). Sixteen year old Doyoung wouldn’t believe it if you told him this boy would become one of the most important people in his life, currently flying all the way around the world to see him.

A knock to his door took him out of his thoughts. He swiped down to check the time again, 4:30. Who else was up? 

“Can I come in?” piped a small voice. Donghyuck

“Yeah, sure?” and with that Donghuck entered, wearing pyjamas, holding a mug of steaming tea. “Donghyuck, what the hell are you doing awake?”

“I went to bed late doing revision, my body woke me up early, thought I’d just embrace it. What time does Taeyong get here?” he took a sip from his drink, obviously wide awake.

“Hey, don’t think you can just slip that under the radar, why were you up late revising? Your GCSEs aren’t until next year!” Doyoung scolded, worry covering his face. He didn’t want his younger brother stressing out, let alone for him to inherit the dark circles under his eyes. 

“This is gonna sound really rude Doie,” Doyoung frowned at the nickname “but I wanna do really well in my exams. I know you didn’t get results you wanted, which is fine! But because of that dad’s putting all this stress on me, I just want to do well so they get off my back.”

Doyoung let out a deep sigh. He knew how overbearing their parents could be, he was hoping their parents would let it all out on him, so there’d be nothing left for Donghyuck. Guess not.

“Just remember it’s your exams, not theirs. They don’t control you, and you don’t have to impress them.”

“I kind of do. You’re becoming an artist, it’s up to me for them to have someone to boast about.” Donghyuck smirked.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m a bloody good artist!” Doyoung whisper-yelled, punching Donghyuck in the shoulder, who was trying his best to silence his giggles. His phone then lit up with another alarm, 4:50.

“Shit!” Doyoung knew the M25 wouldn’t be good at any time, but especially in the early morning, so the earlier he set off, the better.

“You’re gonna be late.” Donghyuck noted to Doyoung, who was already fumbling into the hallway for his shoes. 

“I’ll be back later! Don’t be weird when he gets here!” Doyoung responded (remembering not to shout), before grabbing keys and running out the front door.

…

Airports at stupid-o-clock at night feel like you’ve been transported to a different dimension, where everything is quiet yet loud, and people are either in summer clothes or suits. It was even weirder for Doyoung, who was sleep deprived and nibbling on a panini he just bought from a coffee stand, whilst also trying to calm his nerves. Obviously Taeyong had been unreachable since yesterday, the previous night had been one of the only few nights Doyoung hadn’t fallen asleep whilst texting the other boy, making him feel even less at ease. Taeyong’s flight was due to land at six, but he still had to go through customs and baggage, so he would be a while, but that didn’t stop Doyoung’s mind wandering. What if he had troubles with his passport? What if he lost his bags? What if he never even left New Yor-

A crowd of people suddenly entered the arrivals area, suitcases in hand. Doyoung stood up from his metal bench and quickly forgot about his panini, in search of Taeyong. He knew what to look for, Taeyong had blue hair now (he dyed it whilst on facetime with Doyoung looking to try something fun for the summer) so he’d be easy to find in a crowd. Not a crowd this size though. 

Luckily, a lot of the crowd quickly broke off to catch taxis or to run to the tube station, but still Doyoung had no luck. Until, he saw a flash of blue just coming out of the baggage hall, following it until it became Taeyong, who had a large set of headphones around his neck, pulling a hefty suitcase by his side. 

Doyoung felt the air being knocked out of his lungs. There he was, only a few feet away from him. Somehow he looked even better in real life, which Doyoung didn’t think was possible. Taeyong looked around until his eyes found Doyoung’s, and his whole face broke into the brightest smile, just when Doyoung thought he couldn’t look even prettier.

Taeyong abandoned his suitcase without thought, breaking off into a sprint towards Doyoung, whose mind went _completely blank_. He had no time to think before Taeyong reached him and threw himself on Doyoung, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Despite the shock, Doyoung returned the hug, wrapping his arms around Taeyong’s waist, drawing him into his chest. It was a very intimate embrace, especially considering the two had only properly met seconds prior. They stayed like that for a (long) moment, Taeyong tucking his neck over Doyoung’s shoulder. 

Taeyong pulled back, he was still close, but now he could look Doyoung in the eyes. To anyone walking past, they looked like a reuniting couple.

“Hi.” he said, leaning back, before bursting into a fit of giggles. Doyoung laughed with him, still holding him loosely by the waist. Here he was, in his arms.

“Hi.” Doyoung smiled back. 

…

The journey home was uneventful, Taeyong immediately lulled to sleep by the sounds of morning London traffic. He got shaken awake by Doyoung with a smile when they reached Doyoung’s house.

It was a Saturday, one of the rare days where everyone in the Kim household was at home. When Doyoung opened the front door, Donghyuck was already sat on the kitchen counter, making his way through a bowl of cereal. 

Before Doyoung could turn to help Taeyong with his bags, he had already dropped his bags by his feet to rush past him through to the kitchen. 

“Donghyuck!!” he yelled, sweeping the younger into a hug, who laughed surprisingly before returning with a wide smile. 

“Didn’t you travel all the way here to see me?” Doyoung yelled incredulously from the doorway. 

“No, I came for this one here! How old are you now, twelve?” Taeyong grinned as he ruffled Donghyuck’s hair, who couldn’t hide his smile.

“I’m fifteen” he grumbled with blushed cheeks, leaning into Taeyong’s embrace.

“Sure kid.” Taeyong turned back round to Doyoung, who was busy picking up Taeyong’s bags from the floor. “Fancy giving me a tour?”

…

Doyoung’s house had a spare room on the second floor, which the family used as an office most of the time, but there was a bed as well for the rare occasions when people slept over. Doyoung put the bags down on the bed under the window as Taeyong looked out to the street below.

“We’re only facing another row of houses, it’s not a great view. I’ll take you into town tomorrow if you want.” Doyoung picked up his coursework from the desk from the day before, leading the other boy out into the hallway. 

“There’s a bathroom,” he pointed to his left, then to the door opposite the office room. “And this is _my bedroom_.”

Doyoung moved to open the door, but Taeyong grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Don’t. Not yet.”

Doyoung frowned. “Why?”

Taeyong looked to his side to meet Doyoung in the eyes. “I’ve seen your bedroom thousands of times over facetime, I need a moment before I see it in real life for the first time.”

Taeyong closed his eyes, breathed in, then out, then turned to Doyoung with a smirk. “I’m ready.”

Doyoung rolled his eyes, before opening the door to his room. He moved past the gaping Taeyong to put his folders down on his desk, flopping down on his bed.

“It’s smaller than I thought.” Taeyong said, walking around and inspecting the familiar walls.

“We don’t all live in massive student housing.” Doyoung sighed, lying on his back looking up at his painted ceiling. Taeyong came over to sit at the foot of the bed, leaning his back against the wall and flopping his legs over Doyoung’s legs. Damn, if Taeyong was gonna be this interested in skinship and they’d only been together for a few hours, Doyoung would need to find a way to calm his heart down everytime Taeyong so much as touched him.

“I have nothing planned for today,” Doyoung piped up, “seeing as we’re both pretty tired. But, we can go out tomorrow if you want.” 

“Sounds great.” Taeyong replied, still gazing around the room around him. “I trust you to take me to the prettiest places London has to offer.”

Doyoung smiled. “I will.”

…

Doyoung had gone through many changes in his life, both good and bad, and living in London he had grown accustomed to seeing new things every day. One sight he could never get used to, however, is Taeyong, freshly awoken, drinking a cup of coffee with bleary eyes in his kitchen. 

“Good morning Doie.” Taeyong hummed around his mug, his eyes dark and his pink hair ruffled, sticking out at random angles. Doyoung _really_ doesn’t mind that nickname when it’s coming from him. “I was down here when your dad went off for work so I had a chat with him and he made me a coffee before he left. Seems nice.” For only a day in each other's presence, things were already very, domestic. 

“I assume the jet lag’s hitting you then.” Doyoung yawned, flicking the kettle back on and preparing two mugs, one for himself, one for Donghyuck.

“More than I thought.” Taeyong rubbed at his eyes with a closed fist, pouting.

Doyoung sighed. “Let’s have a lazy day then, I don’t wanna be dragging you around when you’re sick or tired. Take a day or two of doing nothing for your body clock to fix itself, then we can explore London.” The kettle hissed and the light switched off, so Doyoung picked it up and prepared his drinks.

“I like the sound of that.” Taeyong smiled weakly. “Let me get a shower first, freshen myself up.”

…

After the boys had generally woke up and washed themselves up, they found themselves curled up on the living room sofa, flicking through Netflix. Late spring rain hit the windows as the boys got comfy on either end. 

“Seen that. Seen that. Seen that. Oh, I heard that one’s good!” 

“Should we watch it then?” 

“No, not now.”

Doyoung let out a deep sigh, throwing his head back onto the pillows. “You know those roommates of yours back in New York? Did your Netflix habits annoy them? Because they’re really annoying me.”

Donghyuck entered the room in his pajamas, bowl of cereal in hand. “What are you guys doing?”

“Trying to pick out something on Netflix.” Taeyong answered, reading the description of yet another Netflix Original.

“Emphasis on trying.” Doyoung huffed. “Taeyong here can’t seem to pick anything out.”

“Ah, if I can’t pick anything out on Netflix I just watch old episodes of _It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia_ , there’s tons to get through.”

Taeyong looked at Doyoung, “Should we do that?”

“I don’t see why not, thanks Hyuck.” Doyoung smiled.

“Always a pleasure.” Donghyuck called out, strolling back into the kitchen.”

“Right,” Taeyong shuffled his position, now closer to the table where his drink was, as well as closer to Doyoung, “where should we start?”

...

The Tube was a foreign experience for any newcomer to London, even Taeyong, who frequented the New York Subway.

Taeyong was standing in front of one of the large maps in the station, trying to make sense of the routes with wide eyes.

“How do you find your way around?” Taeyong said with awe, following the different coloured lines, “It’s so complicated!”

“You’ll get the hang of it soon enough, it’s not that complicated.” Doyoung led Taeyong down to the escalators.

“Is this much different to the New York Subways?” Doyoung asked, absent-mindedly reading the adverts on the walls.

“Yeah, much more complicated and...grey. Cleaner, I guess.”

“Fuck, how bad are the ones in New York? I definitely wouldn’t describe the tubes as clean.”

“Oh, Doie. You have no idea.”

…

The first of the “DOYOUNG AND TAEYONG LONDON ADVENTURES” (as Taeyong’s snapchat story was called) was to visit Tower Bridge, as well as all of the other tourist traps nearby. As soon as they walked out of the station, they were flooded with crowds of tourists, commuters, families. It was a sunny day, everyone wearing sunglasses and peeling off their jackets.

“And this is during the school holidays,” Doyoung said to Taeyong, pulling him by his wrist out of the crowd of people trying to get into the tube station. “It’s even worse then. And at Christmas.”

“New York’s the same, constantly busy.” They walked up the street until they reached the bridge, Taeyong gazing over the River Thames in awe. The sun was reflected on the water surfaces, creating spectacles of light that grabbed the eye of anyone who looked.

As Taeyong admired the view, Doyoung looked up fearfully at the bridge. Taeyong wanted to go on the glass walkway on the top, which showcased an amazing view of the city’s skyline, as well as a birds-eye-view of the traffic and river below. Doyoung however...wasn’t the keenest on heights, always hesitant to visit, but was determined to overcome this, to spend a good day with Taeyong.

Taeyong saw through Doyoung’s facade, “You ok? You look worried.”

“I’ll be fine.” Doyoung put on a bright smile, but Taeyong still wasn’t satisfied.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Taeyong reassured with concerned eyes.

But Doyoung just shook his head, “No, I’ll be ok, I’m with you. Come on, let’s go.”

…

Looking down from the top of the bridge was even worse than looking up at it, in Doyoung’s opinion. The lovely view of London’s sunlit skyline came accompanied by a perfect view of the bridge below, the tiny people walking bearing a harrowing reminder of the sheer height they were at. The walkway, partially covered by the feet of a handful of tourists, was made of a glass floor, which Taeyong marvelled at.

“Aaah!” he exclaimed with joy, stretching his foot across and looking directly below. His eyes filled with wonder as he crouched down and waved to the people below, to the people waving back from the top of double decker buses. He turned back to Doyoung, who was bearing shaking shoulders, attempting to step onto the glass platform. He looked like… a scared rabbit. 

“Doyoung!” Taeyong walked over to grab Doyoung’s shoulders, trying to hide his giggles. “You okay?”

Doyoung looked at him with wide eyes. “...Not really.”

Taeyong hit him lightly, “You idiot! Why would you come up here with me if you knew you wouldn’t like it!”

“Because I know you wanted to come up here!” Doyoung cried back, looking up at the ceiling. 

“Let’s head down then.” Taeyong made a move for the exit, but Doyoung quickly stopped him.

“I’ll be fine. You have fun, I’ll take pictures for you.”

“But I won’t be having fun if you’re not.” Taeyong pouted. _Cute_. 

“Don’t worry, I’m ok!” Doyoung smiled to prove it, taking a step back from the glass platform. And he was okay, happy seeing Taeyong prance around the walkway, pointing out landmarks excitedly across the river.

“Whatever you say, we’ll be down soon anyway.” And thus, Taeyong ran back into the crowd of giggling children, ‘stomping’ on taxis and touching the tops of buildings.

...

After coming down from the top of the bridge, the pair walked down the riverside.

“I booked a place for lunch, I think you’ll like it.” Doyoung said, hanging his jacket off his arm. “Riverside views, just for you.”

“You flatter me Doie.” Taeyong was squinting in the bright sun, digging through his bag whilst walking to find his sunglasses.

The two walked until they came across a restaurant with igloo-like dining pods, outside a gold-lined restaurant.

“This place okay for you?” Doyoung asked with a smirk, walking in ahead of Taeyoung, currently gaping at the exterior of the restaurant.

“Hi! Welcome to _The Coppa Club!_ Do you have a booking?” The waiter smiled brightly. The restaurant itself was wide and full of light, bustling with conversation and good food.

“Yes, um, it’s under ‘Kim’? For 1 pm?” 

“Let me check.” The waiter lowered their glasses to read the tablet on the stand in front of them. “You reserved an Igloo, yes?”

Doyoung beamed. “I did.”

“Right. Follow me, sirs.” The waiter led the pair out to the front of the restaurant where they just came from, leading them into a large glass dome, decorated with fairy lights and flowers. Inside was a table surrounded by chairs, all covered in throw pillows, the table laid with candles.

The waiter placed down laminated menus with a cheery smile. “I’ll be back later to get your drinks.”

“Thank you!” Taeyong smiled as they walked off. He looked around the dome with wide eyes, reaching out to touch the hexagonal metal frame and plastic covering that kept it in place.

“Doyoung,” Taeyong started, looking out to the river, to all the pedestrians turning their heads at the eye-catching restaurant, “How long did it take to get a booking here? It looks popular.”

“When did you give me your flight details?” Doyoung busied himself with reading the drinks menu.

“Start of February, I think?”

“I booked a table that night.”

Taeyong choked. “ _That long?!_ ”

“It’s very high demand! I know you’d love it so you know, better safe than sorry!” Doyoung exclaimed with high eyebrows.

“...You’re right, I do love it.” Taeyong smiled shyly, tracing his finger down the drinks menu.

The waiter soon came back and took their orders, leaving Taeyong to take pictures of the space around them, as well as a thousand selfies of him and Doyoung.

“Do you _really_ need this many photos of us? You’re here for a few weeks still.”

“I can never have too many photos of you. Besides, my roommates want me to keep them updated over the summer.”

“Oh yeah, Johnny and Mark, what are they doing?” 

“They’re staying together over the summer in New York.” Their drinks were placed on the table, the pair smiled their thanks. “Hopefully they’ll get their heads out of their asses and get together whilst I’m gone.”

“Cheers to that.” Doyoung lifted up his glass, clinking it with Taeyong’s. 

…

It had been a week since Taeyong had arrived in London. Doyoung knew they had a long time before uni started for the both of them, so he wanted to take his time showing Taeyong the wonders of the city.

Tonight, Donghyuck was sleeping round at his friend’s to celebrate school ending, and his parents were away for some work conference, leaving the house to Doyoung and Taeyong. Whilst Taeyong busied himself with some online assignments, Doyoung turned the living room into a fort, lining every surface with a thousand blankets and pillows. hanging up lights, creating bowls of food.

As Doyoung was finishing emptying a bag of pretzels into a bag, he could hear Taeyong shuffling around in the kitchen.

“Are you done with your work?” He shouted down the hallway, met with a “Yeah!”.

“Come in here then!”

Taeyong walked into the living room, looking around in shock. “Wow, Doyoung, you did this?”

“Who else?” A ding was heard from the kitchen, Doyoung ran out and returned with a bowl of popcorn. “You like salty popcorn, right?”

“Yeah I do… you really did all this? Why?” Taeyong grabbed a piece of popcorn before Doyoung placed the bowl down on the table.

“Well I heard you hadn’t watched the Maze Runner films so I took matters into my own hands.” Doyoung sat down on the sofa, patting the space next to him to encourage Taeyong to sit down next to him. Taeyong complied, curling up on the sofa.

“Who told you that?”

“Mark.”

“You friends with Mark now?” Taeyong grabbed another handful of popcorn.

“He’s my source of gossip for you, yeah.” Doyoung smirked, propping his feet up on the footstool. “Get comfy, we’ve got a long night ahead of us.” He grabbed the tv remote as Taeyong settled down by his side.

...

Doyoung awoke slowly, rubbing his eyes to shield himself from the harsh light above. Squinting, he reached his arm out to the left to feel for his bedside table to check the time, only to be met with nothing. Frowning, he opened his eyes the best he could to take in his surroundings. When did he fall asleep on the sofa last night?

He was lying horizontally across the sofa, head resting on his own arm and his other arm wrapped around… Taeyong. Taeyong was curled up in his chest, head buried just below his collarbone, arm wrapped around Doyoung’s waist. _Shit._

Doyoung took the opportunity to admire Taeyong’s face, not too far away from his own. His cheek was squished against the sofa cushion, making his lips pout and his face puff up. At this privileged angle, Doyoung could more clearly see the scar by Taeyong’s eye, indenting beautifully into his pale skin. 

Slowly, he took one hand off of Taeyong’s waist and lightly traced over the scar with his thumb, then gently down his cheek to his soft lips, then to his jaw, holding it with care.

With this movement, Taeyong’s face crumpled, a sign he was waking up. Rapidly, Doyoung removed his hand from his face, distancing himself from Taeyong as much as he could, which in their current predicament wasn’t very far.

Taeyong’s eyes opened slowly, scanning the space around him, until he looked up and found Doyoung. He smiled the best he could with his tired eyes. “Good morning Doie.”

Fuck, Doyoung was weak. Taeyong, barely awake, smiling at him weakly and speaking with his raspy voice. He looked insanely beautiful like this. This should not make him feel the way it does, butterflies fluttering in Doyoung’s stomach.

Taeyong stretched his arms like an awakening cat, curling back into Doyoung’s chest. “Five more minutes.”

Doyoung looked to the clock on the wall. “It’s half eleven in the morning, I think we’ve slept enough.” His body was entangled closely with Taeyong’s, their legs linked, yet Taeyong showed no signs of moving. “When did we fall asleep? During which movie?”

“Sometime during the third? The city was on fire and they were on top of a building? That’s the last bit I remember.” Taeyong turned so he was on his back looking at the ceiling, buried in the crook of Doyoung’s arm.

“That wasn’t too far from the end then.” Doyoung hums, tracing Taeyong’s arm. It felt so domestic, not like a ground-shaking new thing. Like they should have been doing this whole skinship thing for a while. Why did Taeyong have to live in New York?

“Are you planning on getting up today? I’m dragging you flat hunting with me again.” Doyoung asked. Doyoung was on the hunt for a place of his own to move into come September, finally getting away from his parents. However, with the apartments they’ve looked at already, Doyoung can’t help imaging both him and Taeyong living a domestic life together in every space he enters. He needed to stop doing that.

Taeyong hummed. “Well, I need coffee, so yeah.” Groaning, he got up from the sofa, heading into the hallway. “You want one?”

Doyoung could get used to this. “Yeah, I do.”

…

It was the middle of the night, and Doyoung couldn’t sleep. Rain was hammering against the windows, which he should be used to, but combined with the echoing thunder and the sweltering July heat, it didn’t make for a peaceful setting. He was lying on top of his covers, looking towards his bedroom, the moonlight pouring in and hitting every surface. The digital clock on the wall read 03:25, and Doyoung was about to make a move to the stairs to at least get something to eat, when his door creaked open.

In came Taeyong, wearing small baby blue pajamas, padding into Doyoung’s carpeted room with messy hair and bleary eyes. “Oh, you’re awake too.”

“Did the storm wake you up too?” Doyoung asked, sitting up against his headboard.

“Yeah,” Taeyong replied, sitting at the edge of his bed, “I was gonna lie down in your bed, sleeping next to someone usually helps me sleep better, as Johnny and Mark have unfortunately found out. But, it looks like you’re awake too.”

Doyoung smiled sheepishly. “You can still lie down with me, it’s ok. You fell asleep next to me on the sofa that one time, so I know you wont kick me.” He tapped the space next to him on the bed, scooting up to offer Taeyong more room.

Taeyong looked at him with wide eyes, hesitant, then climbed up the bed until he was next to Doyoung. Taeyong immediately got comfy, resting his head on Doyoung’s shoulder, on his side with one arm thrown across Doyoung’s middle. Doyoung’s heartbeat sped up slightly at how familiar it felt, how used to it he was already.

They stayed silent for a while, their embrace soundtracked by the thudding of rain on the window, lit by the blue moonlight. Taeyong shuffled around slightly, his hot breath hitting Doyoung’s neck, and Doyoung kept him in place by a hand around the waist, drawing him even closer into his body. Just as Doyoung’s eyes finally became droopy, Taeyong spoke slowly with a groggy voice.

“I’m scared, Doie.”

“Of what, Taeyong?” Doyoung continued looking up at the ceiling.

“That I’m wasting my time here. I’m loving it here of course, but I’m scared that it’s going too fast. That before I know it, I’m back on a plane to New York, and I won’t see you again until, well, I don’t know.” Taeyong started drawing patterns along Doyoung’s hip, leaving goosebumps on his skin.

“We have time, it’s ok. We still have a few weeks.” Doyoung’s voice came out with a croak.

“Why does an ocean have to seperate us? Why do we have to be so far apart?” Taeyong sighed, nudging closer to Doyoung. “This sucks.”

“It’s ok, we have the rest of summer together.”

“I just, I don’t know. I want to stay with you for a long time.” Taeyong almost sounded tearful. “I’ve known you for so long without being by your side, now I need to make up for all that lost time.”

Doyoung chuckled, looking up at his ceiling. “No matter where you are in the world, I’m by your side. Always have been.”

Taeyong lifted his head up to look at Doyoung, smirking. “My Doie, such a way with words.”

Doyoung looked back down at him. “Shut up you sap.” He bared a matching smile.

Taeyong took a deep breath. “If I could stay in London, would you like that? Hypothetically.”

“Of course I would, don’t be daft.”

Taeyong hummed, resting his head back down. “Can we go to that Harrods place tomorrow? I saw it in a film, it looks fancy.” 

“Sure thing.” Doyoung gently rubbed Taeyong’s back in a soothing manner. Taeyong’s breathing evened out until he fell asleep, and Doyoung fell just a bit more in love. 

…

**Two years ago**

**tyongie**

_hey_  
_i know we don’t facetime much but_  
_can i call you_  
_it’s been a bad day_

**doie**

_of course_  
_i’ll call you now_

_Doyoung would be lying if his heart wasn’t thudding loudly as he went to call Taeyong. Yes, they’d talked before. Most days they snapchat all through the day, but calling is different, isn’t it?_

_Doyoung checked his hair on his phone camera before Taeyong appeared, bundled up in blankets, nose red._

_“Hi.” he sniffled._

_“Have you been crying?” Doyoung spoke without thinking, looking in concern at Taeyong’s puffy eyes._

_“Yeah, it’s not been a great day.” Taeyong took a sip of water with a cough._

_“It’s ok, you can rant to me, but I’m not the best with advice. I’ll try.”_

_Taeyong smiled weakly. “You’re the best.”_

_“I know.” Doyoung smiled. “So, has it just been a bad day? Or…”_

_“Something like that, yeah. Teachers have just been going on and on about college applications even though we have a year, and they’re shouting so much more, and it’s just so… stressful. I feel unhappy every time I’m in school, then I’m too stressed at home to do homework, which just makes it worse.”_

_“That sucks, are all the teachers like that?”_

_“Most of them, yeah. I get why, I mean, college applications are important. But, it’s getting too much. I can’t wait until I’m actually out of here, doing what I like.”_

_“And what is that? I know you were struggling with picking a major.”_

_“I think I want to work with kids, maybe teaching? I know NYU has a good teaching department, and it’s not too far from my parents, so I won’t have to travel so far back home for the holidays.”_

_“Working with kids? That sounds good, you’re practically a kid anyway.”_

_“Hey!” Taeyong giggled, a relieving sound. “Not hormonal teens like Donghyuck, younger kids, like my nephew.”_

_“That sounds nice, you always talk about him.” Doyoung looked at the time, it was getting late, but he had to make sure Taeyong was feeling ok. “It’s good that you know what you wanna do, so you know what you need to do well in. If I were you, I’d focus more on the things you need to get into NYU, and try your best to block out the nagging teachers in the ones you don’t need.”_

_“That…makes sense. It’s hard though, everyone expects me to be good at everything.” Taeyong sighed again._

_“Just listen to the people who do matter, not people who only care about your results.”_

_“Thank you. I wish you were here, you know. Talking to you is becoming the best part of my day recently.” Doyoung blushed at this. “I would facetime you more, but our time zones don’t match well, do they? What time is it there?”_

_“Um, 12?” Doyoung rubbed his eyes._

_“Shit Doie, you have school tomorrow morning! Get going!”_

_“Fine, if you say so. Text me later, I need to make sure you’re feeling better!”_

_“Sure, Doie. Goodnight!”_

_“Goodnight, Tyong.” Taeyong waved goodbye from the other side of the screen, then hung up with a smile._

…

“Taeyong, hey!” From what Taeyong could see, Johnny was in their kitchen back in New York, stirring something in a pot as the air conditioning whirred away in the background.

“Good morning Johnny! You don’t cook, what’re you making?”

“Some pasta dish Mark found on Pinterest, he’s out right now buying the rest of the ingredients so he’ll be back in a minute.” 

“Oh yeah, you and Mark. How are you too, uh, getting along?” Was he being subtle enough?

Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Me and Mark are getting along fine, Taeyong. We’re friends, you know this.”

Taeyong sighed exasperatedly. “No, you _know_ what I mean. Have you made a move yet? I’ve given you all this free time.”

Johnny deadpanned. “I told you that in confidence, not for you to tease me.” He grabbed something from a cupboard above the camera, sprinkling it into the pan. “And no, I haven’t. Mark doesn’t feel the same, I’ll just embarrass myself.”

“Are you _sure_ Mark doesn’t feel the same? You never, you know, asked?”

“Why the hell would I do that?”

Taeyong sighed. “I give up.”

The familiar sound of the dorm’s door echoed through the kitchen, and in came Mark, brown paper bags in hand. “Oh hey, Taeyong. How’s London?”

“Good! How’s your break going?”

Mark walked up to the camera, placing the bags on the counter and unloading the ingredients. “Good! I did all my assignments at the start so I’d have all this free time, this morning I helped Doie look for a flat for September. Johnny, is this the right type of tomato?”

“Yeah, get the recipe up on your phone, I forgot the order we have to put stuff in. Taeyong, we might have to get going soon, I can’t talk and work with something at this temperature at the same time.”

(Taeyong knew this, as did Mark, very well. A few months prior, Johnny was on the phone to his mum whilst also ‘keeping an eye’ on Mark’s ramen whilst he took a shower. He had his back turned one second, then the next there was a small flame rising from the pot, which grew quickly into smoke rising to their ceiling. Luckily, Taeyong ran to Johnny’s aid, taking the pot off the heat, hitting the flaming ramen with a cloth. Johnny screamed, Taeyong screamed, Johnny’s mum screamed, when Mark came out of the shower protecting himself loosely with a towel to check out the danger (Johnny had to cover his bright red ears), he also screamed. Luckily, they pulled themselves together, Mark opened a window to let the smoke out into the New York streets, and they all went to the ramen place down the street.)

“Yeah sure. Look, can I call again sometime next week? I’ve been thinking about doing something, and I’ll need your help.” 

“Doyoung related?” Johnny asked, to which Mark answered from the sink, “Isn’t it always?”. 

“Kinda, yeah. Got to go, I can smell food. See you two!”

Mark and Johnny waved their goodbyes from the distant, sunny new york dorm as Taeyong hung up, facing his own reflection in the phone screen once again.

“Come down, food’s arrived!” Yelled Doyoung in the distance.

“Coming!”

…

In the last few weeks of summer, London felt even busier. More concerts and events were scheduled as families and travellers rushed to London before September and its duties returned. Due to this, the café Doyoung part-timed at was in need of more staff present. 

At some point in the last few weeks as the weather got worse, Taeyong kept waking up in the middle of the night more. To solve this problem, he moved into Doyoung’s bedroom so he could always have someone to hold close if things got too noisy. Doyoung was not complaining. At all.

“I’m finishing at 2, did I give you the address?” Taeyong shook his head from where he was lying down (on Doyoung’s bed, they shared again last night because of ‘the storm’), giving Doyoung his phone with a map app open so he could show him. “Do you want to meet me there once my shift finishes? I wanna take you to Greenwich Park, that one near the observatory we walked past.”

“Yeah sure, I’ll find something to do whilst you’re gone.”

Doyoung sighed, cupping Taeyong’s jaw from where he was standing. “I really wish I didn’t have to leave you, really. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Don’t feel bad, Doyoung. I know you can’t help it.” Taeyong smiled. “You have a good day.” He smiled as Doyoung winked and headed out the door, thudding down the stairs.

Taeyong huffed and rolled over to grab his phone, bringing up his texts with Johnny from the night before.

**johnny**

[link]  
here’s the london transfer guy’s office  
i think he said on the phone his name was kun?

**taeyong**

thank uuu!!!  
I’ll see if i can see him before doyoung finishes work

**johnny**

:(  
if u do go through w this  
im gonna miss u  
new york’s not the same without u

**taeyong**

idk if it’s even gonna happen  
even if it does i gotta come back to get all my stuff and see u all again :(

**johnny**

im happy for u tho  
if ur happy thats all that matters

**taeyong**

I am  
idk why but im SO happy in london  
i feel like im finally where i belong  
idk why

**johnny**

i think i know why  
:)

**taeyong**

?  
anyway  
at least i’ll be giving u more space to finally make a move on mark

**johnny**

um yeah  
about that  
i kinda did

**taeyong**

WAJHD  
WHAT  
WHAT  
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS LATER

…

After navigating his way through the tubes thanks to the help of his phone and a helpful worker, Taeyong found himself at NYU London, looking up at the small building, _much_ smaller than the NYU Taeyong knew.

He buzzed the intercom by the door. “Hello? I’m looking for Qian Kun? We talked earlier, Lee Taeyong?”

A cheerful voice crackled through the silver speaker. “Ah yes! I’ll buzz you in, tell the security my name and they’ll tell you where you need to go!”

On the way to Kun’s room, Taeyong took in the halls around him. It was quiet, mainly because it was summertime so there were no students, but Taeyong also noted how small the campus was.

He knocked on a door marked “STUDENT OFFICE”, and a man with silver hair, large glasses frames and an even larger smile opened it. “Hi! Taeyong, from New York?”

“That’s me!” Taeyong shook his hand, sitting down opposite him, separated by a cluttered desk.

“So, you’re thinking about transferring to the London campus for your second year? Why’s that?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but coming here and staying over the summer has really solidified my decision. I can’t imagine being anywhere else right now.”

“That’s sweet.” the man smiled again, cheeks rising. He typed away on his computer as he spoke. “Well, your course is transferable to here, you’ll just have different professors and classmates and all that. Do you have a visa?”

“Well, I’m gonna get one in the next week, I hope.”

“And how long will it be eligible for?”

“The student visa I’ve applied for lets me stay here for up to five years without renewal, so after staying here for the year I’ll decide if I’ll work here or move back to New York”

Kun looked up from his computer. “Why are you waiting a week to make the decisions? You sound so sure.”

Taeyong’s eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting that one. “Well, um…”

Kun smirked knowingly, pushing up his glasses. “Does a certain someone’s opinion matter?”

Taeyong blushed. “What? No, no. Not at all.”

“Sure. Are you dating? I hope you’re not just moving here for someone, that typically doesn’t end too well.”

“We’re not dating.” Kun smiled, Taeyong spluttered. “I mean- forget it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t moving here partially to be with my.. best friend.” Taeyong took a deep breath whilst saying this. “But, this city is so healing and amazing, I feel like I’d hate myself forever if I didn’t stay here.”

“London is the place to be.” Kun smiled to himself, as if he had his own story about it, then turned back to the computer. “How about, you come back here this Sunday with a decision. Then, I’ll help you out with everything I can and get everything arranged.” He wrote on a beige post note with Snoopy doodled in the corner, before sliding it over the table. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Taeyong.” He smiled a comforting smile.

Taeyong smiled. “Me too.”

…

The park offered a beautiful view of London, just as Doyoung promised. From their position on their blanket, Taeyong and Doyoung could point out places they had visited before, as well as ‘poke’ the heads of people walking further down the hill. They were sipping on coffee they bought from Doyoung’s café and eating ice cream from a stall by the river, basking in the sunshine while it lasted. The sound of children playing soundtracked their day on the grass.

“Doyoung, can I ask you something? Answer honestly.” Taeyong put his pot of ice cream down on the blanket in between them. They were sat cross legged facing each other, to their right, the city of London. 

“Of course, what’s up?”

“If I could stay longer in London, would you like that?”

Doyoung choked. “You’re staying longer?” His eyes were wide with disbelief.

“Just answer the question!”

“I’d love that.” Doyoung smiled.

“For how long?”

Doyoung took another spoonful of his ice cream, looking Taeyong in the eyes. “I’d have you live here if I could.”

Woah. Taeyong wasn’t expecting that one. “ _Live_ here?”

“Yeah. You’re my best friend, no question. Why would I live far away from you again when I know that being closer to you is this good?” Doyoung smiled, looking down at his food to hide his blushing cheeks. 

“That’s….good to know.”

“Why’re you asking? Are you gonna be staying here longer? I know you go back to Uni a week after you leave, you can’t stay much longer.”

Taeyong took a deep breath. “I applied for a visa. For here.”

Doyoung’s eyes shot wide again. “ _For here?_ Like, you’re staying here? What about Uni?” He was trying his best to hide his hopeful smile.

“I had a chat with someone at NYU London this morning, they do a version of my course here. If my visa gets approved, next week I have an appointment with him again to sort transferring here for my second year.”

“You’re not kidding, are you.” Doyoung smiled wide, shuffling closer to Taeyong.

“I’m not. If everything goes well, I’m here for the next year. Or, however long I decide. I think the visa lasts longer than a year.”

“You’re actually staying here, holy shit.” Doyoung grinned, before crawling over the picnic blanket, wrapping Taeyong up in a hug. Taeyong hummed, his arms thrown across Doyoung’s shoulders, his head nestled in Taeyong’s neck.

“Wait,” Doyoung pulled back, towering over Taeyong, holding himself up with his shoulders. “Where are you gonna stay?”

“Well, I’ve been helping you flat searching, haven’t I? I’ll look at some of the places we’ve been t-”

“Don’t be daft, you’re moving in with me.” Doyoung cut him off.

Taeyong choked. “I am?”

“Why the hell wouldn’t you?”

Taeyong thought for a second, humming. “Yeah… Why wouldn’t I. I like the idea of us living together. We’ve survived the past few months.”

Doyoung sat by his side, leaning into his warmth. “Yeah, we have.” 

Taeyong could only describe himself as relieved, excited and scared. Relieved that Doyoung was so accepting of him staying in London (I mean, imagine if he said he didn’t want him to say?), excited for his new life here, but scared of the future. What if Doyoung got bored of him, or spent more time with his existing uni friends?

Taeyong cast these worries aside in order to curl into Doyoung’s side, their melted leftovers long forgotten.

“How many more flats do we need to look at?” Taeyong slipped the “we” in there so easily.

Doyoung scrolled through the calendar on his phone. “One tomorrow afternoon, the one with the big windows, then two on Friday.” He looked over to Taeyong, sparkling eyes. “I can’t wait.”

Taeyong caught himself glancing briefly down at Doyoung’s lips, then quickly back up to his eyes. “Me neither.”

…

It was the week of pride, and Taeyong had two weeks left before he flies back to New York, packs his life away, says goodbye to all his friends, then flies back to move in with Doyoung and starts his semester with NYU London. It was… a lot, but Doyoung was helping him stay relaxed. 

They were going to London Pride at the weekend, a colourful festival full of music, costume and love. Taeyong needed to redo his blue hair anyway, but whilst shopping he picked up something else.

“Pink? Really?” Doyoung winghed, still curled up in bed.

“Yeah, you’ll look amazing! We’ll be matching!” 

“I’m not ready for a life of frequent hair-dyeing, Tyong. I’ve seen the state of your hair.”

“You’ll be fine Doie, this one’s without bleach.” He started to take apart the boxes. “I’ll do my touch-ups whilst you get changed into some old clothes.”

Doyoung sighed, sitting up and stretching. “I don’t have a say in this, do I?”

Taeyong looked up from stirring his conditioner, smirking. “Nope.”

When Doyoung returned, now in old black clothes too tight for him, Taeyong was sat by his desk, tin foil placed near the roots of his hair with bright blue stains on them. 

“Great, you’re out! Go dry your hair whilst I sort out your dye.”

As Doyoung sat by his bed drying his hair with the loud hair dryer, he glanced over fondly to Taeyong. He was mixing up the conditioner and hair dye with a pout, shaking his head every few seconds to flick away a stray piece of tin foil that kept flopping down on his forehead. He looked adorable, simply. Damn, he couldn’t wait for the next year with him. One thing he wasn’t looking forward to, however, was hiding these… developing feelings of his. 

“You ready? Come on!”

Doyoung walked over and sat on the chair by his desk as Taeyong put gloves on.

“Right, Don’t touch your hair or lean against anything once it’s all done, then in thirty minutes take a shower and rinse your hair until the water goes clear. Don’t get scared if your shower walls go all red, it’ll rinse out.” Taeyong walks behind him and starts to paint the dye on the back of Doyoung’s head, cold on the back of his head.

“Do I have to buy all these fancy conditioners and redo this process every few months now I’ve started, like you?” Doyoung met Taeyong’s eyes in the mirror across from them.

“Not really. If you just do your hair like normal, it’ll just fade quicker, so I take a bit more care so it lasts longer. Painful, but it’s worth it.”

“Good to know, I can’t do what you do.” Doyoung smiled, fiddling with his fingers. 

Taeyong moved down Doyoung’s head with the dye, making sure to cover all the areas behind his ears. Then he walked around and, very aptly, crawled onto Doyoung’s lap, balancing his knees on the chair.

Doyoung instinctively grabbed him by the hips to support him, flustered. “What… what are you doing?”

“Sorting out your fringe, obviously. This one stains a bit more, so I want to get as little on your face as possible.”

Doyoung looked up at him incredulously. “This stuff _stains?_ ” 

“Not unless I do this right! Now stay still.” Taeyong’s face moved closer to Doyoung’s as he continued to apply the dye, moving the brush gently across Doyoung’s scalp. From here, Doyoung could trace with his eyes Taeyong’s jawbone, his eyelashes, the beautiful scar by his eye.

Taeyong edged closer and closer, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, not meeting Doyoung in the eyes. As Taeyong moved even closer, his breath tickling Doyoung’s nose, Doyoung closed his eyes quickly in embarrassment. 

Taeyong finally took his attention away from Doyoung’s roots to giggle at him. “Why are your eyes closed?”

Doyoung’s forehead crinkled as he pouted. “You’re really close to me, I can’t do this!”

Taeyong continued laughing at him, the sound ricocheting closely off of Doyoung’s skin. “Poor Doyoungie can’t handle someone’s face close to his.” Doyoung continued to pout, his cheeks blushing red.

“Hey, open your eyes.”

“No.”

Taeyong whined. “Why?”

“...Fine.”

Doyoung’s eyes fluttered open to meet Taeyong’s, now mere inches away from his own. He was looking directly at him, and Doyoung had nowhere to run this time. 

“Can you handle _this_?” Taeyong whispered, smirking. His hands were loose in the air as he was still holding hair dye, but his whole body gravitated towards Doyoung somehow, invading his space in a beautiful way.

Doyoung didn’t respond, didn’t dare to open his mouth. Instead, he broke Taeyong’s gaze to look at his nose, moving down to his pink lips. So close, yet so far away. His eyes shot back up once he realised what he was doing, however he didn’t meet Taeyong’s eyes, as he was also staring at his lips. 

Maintaining the distance, Taeyong resumed his job on Doyoung’s hair, painting intricately to make sure he covered everything. Doyoung’s hands around Taeyong’s waist tightened slightly, the last thing they’d both want right now is to lose balance and come tumbling to the floor. Doyoung looked up at Taeyong as he did the last stroke and moved off of Doyoung’s lap to place everything back on the table. Doyoung felt cold and lonely all of a sudden.

“Right,” Taeyong cleaned up the table as he spoke, moving around to put certain things in the bin. “I’ll go for my shower now, you go in at…” He checked the time on his phone “One. I won’t be long.”. And with that Taeyong walked out, leaving Doyoung alone with his thoughts once again.

…

The tube to the heart of the Pride Festival was one of the most colourful experiences of Doyoung’s life. He was pretty colourful himself, with his new pink-purple hair and the glitter around his eyes (which he was against, but Donghyuck insisted), but everywhere he went was bustling with colour, music and love. By the time they reached the centre of London, Doyoung had lost count of rainbows he’d spotted.

Arguably the main part of the event was the parade itself. The largest streets in the busiest parts of London had been shut down, now filled with performers and floats. Every shop, café, skyscraper was showing their support, plastering their windows with posters and yelling their support. 

Doyoung was looking all around himself, taking in all the sights. He looked over to Taeyong, who was taking polaroid photos of the parade going past them. Dancers came up to the barricades, smiling and waving flags, and Taeyong waved back, giggling. He turned round to Doyoung and took a picture of him, waiting eagerly for the film to come out. “Isn’t this great?” His smile rivaled that of the sun.

...

The party of the city had continued until it got dark, hanging lights reflecting off of sparkly costumes. 

Carnaby street had been shut down for the occasion, speakers on the top of restaurants blasting music. The shops that were open were selling glitter makeup and headbands, and the shops that _weren’t_ open had lights and displays on their closed windows to show their support. Add the open bars and restaurants on the street to the equation, and you have one hell of a party. 

Needless to say, the street was packed. People from all walks of life danced, drank and ate together. Some were strangers, some were long time lovers, but on this street, on this night, they were all one big family, listening to the same music.

Doyoung came out of a bar, two plastic drinks in hand. “You having fun?”

Taeyong was dancing in the middle of the street with a crowd of… drag queens, who were applying glitter to his face. “Of course I’m having fun!” He waved goodbye to the queens, then ran over to Doyoung, taking one of the drinks from his hands.

“It’s nice, isn’t it? Makes London a completely different place.” Doyoung wishes London was like this all year, full of love and life.

“I like how… people aren’t afraid here. Everyone’s expressing themselves, not afraid of being too stereotypical, or not stereotypical enough. It’s beautiful.”

Taeyong shone in the night’s lights, and Doyoung couldn’t take his eyes off of him. “Yeah, it is.”

They finished their drinks and joined the crowd again, dancing along to the songs they knew, until…

Vocals flowed through the speaker, touching the ears of everyone there.

Taeyong looked up at Doyoung, wide eyes. “ _Are they playing SHINee?!_ ”

Believe it or not, Prism by SHINee started playing. The whole street started whooping, not because they knew the song, but because they could tell it was going to be a good one.

“No one _ever_ plays SHINee!” Taeyong shouted, elated. He started laughing loudly, dancing. Doyoung laughed with him, then embarrassingly, started dancing as well, his moves less carefree.

“Come on, loosen up a bit!” Taeyong threw his arms loosely over Doyoung’s shoulders, stepping into his space.

They danced together, and the onlooking crowd followed suit, grabbing a partner and bouncing on the street. A drag queen with high blonde hair looked at Taeyong, then to Doyoung, then back to Taeyong with a teasing smirk, then disappeared into the colourful crowd.

Taeyong blushed, hiding his face into Doyoung’s chest.

Doyoung chuckled, pulling Taeyong back by his neck to meet him in the eyes. Their faces were much closer than before, Taeyong’s arms circling around Doyoung’s neck slowly to bring him down, closer.

Nothing else mattered around them. Not the people around them, not the shining lights. All that Doyoung cared about was Taeyong’s face so close to his and the music thumping through his blood.

Hesitantly, painstakingly slow, Doyoung moved closer to Taeyong’s face, giving him plenty of time to back away. Taeyong didn’t move at all, if anything he subtly moved closer.

Doyoung’s hands fell firmly on Taeyong’s waist, pulling him in. Now, their lips were even closer, a slight nudge would be all it would take.

They moved closer, and closer. The cheers of the crowd grew louder, now spectators to the pair, eager to see what happens next together. They moved slowly, hesitantly, savouring the moment.

Taeyong’s eyes fell shut, leaning in, and their lips finally met.

Taeyong’s arms wrapped around Doyoung’s neck and Doyoung’s arms wrapped around Taeyong’s waist, both of them doing anything to get closer to each other. The two immediately melted against each other, their noses brushing together occasionally, but it didn’t matter. They moved together in harmony, as if they’d been doing this for years. Taeyong gasped, allowing Doyoung to deepen the kiss, pouring his feelings out.

They could have been kissing for hours, but when they seperated for air the song was still playing. Everyone around them was still dancing and laughing, many even crowding around the pair in support and excitement.

They stayed close together, smiling into each other’s space. Doyoung wasn’t thinking about the consequences, or what would happen next. He just stayed close to Taeyong as they swayed to the music, only thinking about the lips he just kissed and the music surrounding them.

…

The tube back to Doyoung’s house wasn’t awkward. Just, silent. For two people who hadn’t stopped talking with each other all summer, they were certainly acting like strangers. The two sat shoulder to shoulder in a near-empty carriage, as Doyoung’s mind raced a million miles an hour with plaguing questions. Was he dreaming? Were they ever going to talk about what just happened? What did it _mean_?

They walked back to Doyoung’s doorstep in relative silence still, and the tension was killing him. Without talking, they moved upstairs to Doyoung’s room. Taeyong was wiping his face free from glitter when Doyoung blurted out:

“What was that?” Taeyong turned around. “I mean, was it a heat of the moment thing? Just because you were happy? I don’t want to ruin our friendship or anything because of this.”

Taeyong took a deep, stabilizing breath, then walked over to Doyoung. He took a moment to collect himself, looking down at the floor, then looking back up to meet Doyoung’s eyes. 

“I love you.” Taeyong stated with fearful eyes. “There’s no point in hiding it anymore. I kissed you because I’m in love with you, and I was so happy and caught up in the moment that I didn’t think about the consequences.” Taeyong looked scared, his eyes becoming red. “Let’s just forget it.”

Doyoung was overcome with bravery he’d never had before as he cupped Taeyong’s jaw before he could run away. “I love you too, god I love you so much.”

Taeyong was frozen. “You do?”

“I love you _so much_ , Lee Taeyong.” Doyoung smiled tearfully.

Taeyong smiled widely, before dragging Doyoung into a tight hug. He tucked his head into Doyoung’s shoulder intimately, nestling to hide his tears. “You mean it? You… love me?”

Doyoung pulled back, bumped his forehead against Taeyong’s, smiling widely. Taeyong smiled back, holding Doyoung’s cheeks with both hands. “Of course I do. I’ve always loved you, I think.”

Taeyong looked up at Doyoung, eyes full of wonder and love. “Be mine.” He blurted it out, no thought behind it, just the first words that came to his head.

Doyoung sighed, blushing pink. “I’ll always be yours, Taeyong. And you’re mine.” God, where did all this confidence come from?

They looked into each other’s eyes for longer, basking in their close proximity, before Doyoung closed the distance for the second time that day.

Doyoung wrapped his hands around Taeyong’s neck as they kissed, slowly backing him up against a wall. Doyoung could feel his smile on his lips, his tears on his face. They moved slowly, not worried about time or distance like they always were. They kissed without fear or worry, knowing they had all the time in the world to be together. Taeyong hummed softly as he fiddled with the top of Doyoung’s jumper, pulling him further in. 

They parted with a sweet sound, chests heaving against each other. Taeyong stared back up at Doyoung with sparkling eyes and Doyoung wished he’d done this _ages_ ago. Wordlessly, they met again in the middle with a newfound passion and desire, grabbing any part of each other to pull themselves even closer to each other. It was messy and kind of snotty and imperfect, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

…

Doyoung’s alarm went off at 3 in the morning, but he was sound asleep. Tucked under his shoulder was Taeyong, whose blue hair was splayed out across Doyoung’s chest.

Doyoung woke up to the sound with a frown, before reaching over and turning the alarm off. He moved to shake Taeyong’s shoulder to wake him up, who groaned in response.

“Get up, your flight’s soon!” Doyoung whisper-yelled to a yawning Taeyong. Taeyong sat up slightly, rubbing his eyes.

“5 more minutes.” Taeyong said groggily, pulling Doyoung closer to him.

“No, you have to get up. You go take a shower and I’ll pack the rest of your carry-on, yeah?” Doyoung looked down at Taeyong, who smiled lightly.

“Yeah.” Taeyong sighed, before surging up to leave a kiss on Doyoung’s lips, Doyoung held him up by a hand placed on the small of his back, holding him gently.

“God, I’ll never get tired of that.” Doyoung hummed. Taeyong giggled in response, before finally getting up and heading to the bathroom. 

…

Doyoung could only accompany Taeyong as far as security in the airport, unfortunately. They walked in together and looked up at the departure board to find Taeyong’s flight, squinting at the large board on the wall.”

“There! That one!” Taeyong pointed excitedly to a number high up on the board and jumped up and down as Doyoung admired his energy levels this early in the morning.

“It’s in an hour and a half, make sure to get some proper breakfast in there?” Doyoung passed over Taeyong’s carry-on that he’d been taken care of. “Tell Johnny, Mark and your family I say hi, yeah?”

“Of course. I’ll make sure to sort out all the transfer paperwork on that side as well, I’ve got three weeks.” Taeyong smiled.

“Three weeks too long.” Doyoung smirked, before wrapping Taeyong up in a hug. Taeyong reciprocated, arms around Doyoung’s waist. He pulled back to look him in the eyes, then met him in a kiss, soft and gentle and promising.

“Three weeks will fly by, trust me, then I’ll be back again. Don’t have too much fun without me.” Taeyong smirked.

“I love you.” Doyoung whispered, hand holding the neck pillow Taeyong was wearing.

“And I love you too.” Taeyong beamed, giving him a final kiss, before picking up all his bags and turning around the corner to security, waving to Doyoung the entire time.

…

“Taeyong!” Mark opened the door to the apartment before Taeyong could get his own keys out of his pocket, jumping on him with a hug.

Taeyong hugged back, spinning them around. “I missed you too, Mark.” He moved into the apartment, putting down all his bags and throwing himself against the sofa. “I’m only here for three weeks, and I’m staying round my parents’ house this weekend, so you better make the most of this time, eh?”

“Of course.” Mark moved to the kitchen, tidying up some pots and pans. “Let’s hang out, the three of us. It’s not gonna be the same without you.” 

“Where is Johnny, by the way?” Taeyong asked, staring up at the ceiling.

“Here!” Johnny rushed through the kitchen, putting on a scarf and some gloves. “Great to see you, be back later!” He kissed Mark on the cheek lightly before running out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Taeyong was speechless. “What… was that?”

Mark sighed. “He wants to get to some artisan market before it closes, I think he overslept.”

“No, what was _that_? Am I just really tired or did Johnny just kiss your cheek? So you two _are_ together?”

Mark frowned. “You knew?”

Taeyong shot up, eyes wide. “ _You are_?”

Mark blushed. “Well, yeah. We started dating a few weeks ago, I guess.”

“You seem too calm about this, Mark.” Taeyong raised an eyebrow. “How’d it happen? I know you’re dying to tell me.”

“I am.” Mark admitted with a smile, running over to the sofa and sitting down on the side opposite Taeyong, throwing his legs across his lap.

“So, we were at that coffee shop by the museum, the one with the red flowers in the window?” Taeyong nodded, following along. “And, well, he was being all stuttery and red and everything, which is obviously _not like him_ , so I was like ‘Cut the crap Johnny what’s going on’ and he just confessed!”

“Wow, just like that?”

Mark hums. “I couldn’t believe it.”

“And I’m assuming, you just confessed back?”

“Of course I did! I’ve liked him for _ages_.” Mark twiddled his toes on Taeyong’s lap.

“Well, thank goodness, because I’ve been watching you two tip-toe around each other for ages.”

“At least you won’t have to live with us as a couple for long.” And with that, Mark got up, searching the kitchen for food to make.

“Not for long…” Taeyong sighed, sad all of a sudden. It had only just hit that these were his last three weeks in this flat with Johnny and Mark, of course he'd call them everyday like he did with Doyoung before and fly back when he could afford to, but this felt like the end of an era.

“Hey Mark,” Mark turned his head from the kitchen, “Should the three of us hang out together? Do something fun?”

Mark smiled, “Of course! Do you wanna go out and do something, or just stay in, or…”

“Staying in sounds great, I've missed this place.”

…

The three weeks flew by. During that time, Taeyong took a train to visit his family, sorted out all his paperwork with the university, and spent lots of time with his roommates whilst he could. 

On his final day, Johnny and Mark drove him to the airport for one final goodbye. He stood with them outside, his life packed up in two suitcases by his side.

“Call every day, remember? I wanna see you so much it's like you're still with us, ok?” Johnny instructed, rubbing Taeyong’s arms over his coat in an attempt to warm him up.

“I’ll call you every day until you get sick of me.” Taeyong smiled with a red nose.

“Impossible” Mark said, before moving forward and bundling Taeyong in a hug. Johnny joined too, latching onto the two of them. They waddled around in circles, huddling together to protect each other from the winter weather.

“I love you guys.” Taeyong confessed, muffled into Johnny’s coat.

“We love you too.” Johnny replied, then the three reluctantly separated from their embrace. “Call us as soon as you land, yeah?”

“Of course.” Taeyong picked up his suitcases, heading to the automatic doors behind him. “Bye guys!” He waved to his roommates.

“Bye!” Mark and Johnny waved back, hand in hand all of a sudden.

…

Taeyong travelled on the tube by himself from Heathrow, wanting to practise the route back home. He came out into the streets and walked towards a high-rise building, evening sun reflecting against the shiny glass windows. He entered a passcode on a metal pad outside (a number Doyoung just texted him, one he’d have to commit to memory soon) and entered, heading for the stairs.

Five minutes later, he came across an apartment door numbered 127. He reached into his bag and pulled out a key, which he turned in the lock.

“Honey, I’m home!” Taeyong’s voice flowed through the unfurnished apartment, hitting every wall. He threw his bags down in the empty living room before turning into the kitchen, where Doyoung was stirring a large pot on the stove.

Taeyong walked over, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I see decorating’s going well.” He teased with a smile.

“I’ve been focusing on the bedroom! I’d rather have a place to sleep then a working TV.” He turned down the heat so he could talk to Taeyong without worrying about anything burning. “How was the journey!”

“Good! Too many stairs up here though, my legs ache.”

“You know there’s a lift, right?”

Taeyong froze. “A what?”

“A lift? An elevator? Gets you up here quicker?”

“There is? I couldn’t find it in the lobby!”

“Idiot.” Doyoung smiled, getting something out of the fridge.

“You’ve got plenty of time to show me where it is, haven’t you?” Taeyong pulled Doyoung closer by the blue apron tied around his waist.

“Yes I have.” Replied Doyoung, beaming, before meeting Taeyong in the middle with a gentle kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! thank you so much for reading!
> 
> this took quite a while to write, but i’m proud with the outcome :) thank you to lu for the overall help and support <3 i had a lot of fun writing this, i did loads of research of irl places they visit and things they do but not everything made it in lmao. 
> 
> please, leave kudos and comments if you can! they mean SO much to me! thank you again so much for reading!
> 
> [lu’s twitter!](https://twitter.com/lets_gopicnic)
> 
> interact w me too! [my twitter](https://twitter.com/longflight42)


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